Castiel's To Do List
by Aesculap
Summary: Spilers for 5.22! After all Castiel has a few things to do


_An: heavy spoilers for 5.22; not beta'ed because I already dumped too much on my beta's head, so sorry for any mistakes you migh still spot._

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Right after Castiel comes back he knows that he has a few things to do and starts a list inside his head. Actually he wants to resurrect Bobby first but as his eyes fall on Dean he knows that the old hunter won't be too pissed if he stays dead for another two minutes.

His friend's face looks like at least Lucifer gave him a good beating. Perhaps Michael, too. One eye is completely swollen over - the Angel knows that it has been hurt beyond repair. Dean's lips are split open, blood flowing freely and adding towards the slick red liquid dripping out of the human's mouth. Castiel doesn't even have to look to know that there are two teeth chapped and another one's roots have been damaged. Under the bruises covering Dean's face there are broken bones - jugular bone, jaw bone, and of course the nose. The Angel's own face hurt's just looking at his friend. With a soft touch Dean is restored to his former handsomeness.

Bobby is next. Castiel crouches down next to the old hunter that somehow had become a friend in the last days. He is relieved when he sees the man's lungs filling with air and his eyes opening again. Castiel wants to smile at him encouragingly, but he knows he has just resurrected Bobby only to mourn the loss of the youngest member of Team Free Will. With a sigh he stands up - so much to do, so little time.

The third item on Castiel's list actually should be to return to heaven. But he does not. One of his friends is still lost, trapped deep down inside Lucifer's cage with Michael. The Angel knows who has brought him back and although there hasn't been any eye-opening conversations with God, there now are a few things Castiel finally understands. But understanding doesn't mean he has to approve. Like for example he now understands why everything that has happened to him had to happen. Why God brought him back almost a year ago to just hide again. His Father wanted them to display free will, to think for their own and do the right thing. If he had interfered he would have manipulated the outcome of this… this experiment - the Angel _really _does not like to think of himself and his friends of specimen. But back to Sam. Although Castiel knows that he has no _direct _order to free the younger Winchester, he had no direct prohibition either. And God brought him back a second time - to display free will. And this is what he is planning to do.

Castiel has been to Hell already once but this time it is different. He does not have to search an infinite space but he know exactly where the cage is. He does not have to fight hoards of demons that try to kill him, he just has to sneak up to the cage. He does not have to simply drag a tiny soul out of the pit but to free both Sam and Adam - because when he is already on-site he can kill two birds with one stone and rescue Michael's vessel, too - from their angelic kidnappers. Although juiced up by God himself Castiel has quite a hard time figuring out what to do and how to pull them out again without damaging the humans too much in the process. The few injuries he can't prevent are healed easily though.

The forth item - after Sam screwed the promise not to tell Dean about his rescue out of the him - is to visit the bitter hunter who is currently driving towards the woman - Lisa. Castiel wants to say good bye properly. But somehow talking to Dean is as difficult and frustrating as always. When Castiel flutters away again he thinks with a smile that he actually doesn't want it to be different. Because this is Dean. His friend. And it's just how he is.

The fifth item - although he can already hear his brothers asking about his whereabouts - is to watch Sam. The younger Winchester is now standing in front of Lisa's house. Castiel can't help the street light reacting to his now reinvigorated and seriously boosted Grace. But at least he manages to prevent it from shattering above Sam's head. The Angel watches both of them. Sam watching Dean, his face emotionless but a storm of different sensations raging on his inside. Wistfulness, hope, envy, happiness, anger. There are too many for Castiel to name, too many for him to understand. So he turns to Dean again, watches the older brother sitting inside Lisa's living room. His only company is a bottle. Although he is surrounded by other humans his loneliness is painstakingly clear for the Angel to spot. Dean is not at home here. Although both Winchester's are currently trying to lie to themselves, trying to pretend that Dean just needs time, that he surely is going to adjust himself and live an apple-pie-life with Lisa and Ben, Castiel knows that just in a few months - at best - he will be back on the road. When Castiel vanishes, he makes sure that Sam doesn't hear the fluttering of his wings.

The sixth item is something that actually isn't very important. Except for Castiel himself. He shortly is thinking about returning Jimmy Novak's body - Jimmy, Amelia and Claire truly would deserve it - but he still needs his vessel. There are a few things left on his To-Do-List. So he reappears inside Bobby's house. The old hunter isn't at home right now, probably still on the road, but Castiel doesn't need his friend for the thing he has in mind. He goes to the kitchen and pours himself a generous glass of Whiskey. Before each sip he takes, he raises a toast to one of the fallen comrades. Joe, Ellen, even the Angels like Anna or Zachariah. When there is still liquor left he proposes a toast towards humanity and free will in general before downing the remainders of his drink. Perhaps he should have chosen a shot glass instead of a beer mug because now Bobby's bottle is nearly empty. With a shrug he produces a pen and a post-it, scribbles down 'sorry' and sticks the note to the bottle before cleaning up again.

Actually this had been item 6a. Item 6b is something he wants to do in Bobby's house, too. With a thought he is upstairs and inside the bathroom. Slowly Castiel undresses his vessel. He had to do this quite a few times in the last week since he came back. Showering, sleeping, using the toilet, things so utterly human that he had been truly terrified as soon as he learned that he now had to do them, too. This time however, this time he chooses to do them. He folds up his… Jimmy's clothes, stacks them neatly on the closed lid of the toilet and prepares a towel on top of them before he finally enters the shower. Jimmy Novak, another point God now had taken care of twice. He can feel the warm and reassuring presence of his vessel's consciousness somewhere deep inside his mind. The human is still asleep, but he _is_. That is more than he was just hours ago.

The water is warm despite the old pipes. One of the perks of being an Angel. It stays wonderfully hot long after the time Castiel should have used up all the warm water. The tiny room is filled with steam but the Angel doesn't care. Taking a shower is one of the few things he encountered in his short time as an almost-human that he loves. With a tiny smile he remembers the last time he used up the hot water right before Dean wanted to clean himself. Had this fight really happened just a few hours ago? It feels as if years have passed since… Castiel's head is under the spray, his eyes closed, his face relaxed and his thoughts somewhere in the past so he does not notice Bobby entering his home. Not until the old hunter charges in, shotgun in his hands, ready to shoot at any threat and ask questions later.

Item number seven on Castiel's list is to bring Bobby back again. If he had know the old hunter would suffer a heart attack due to seeing a naked Angel of the Lord enjoying a shower, he would have used another of those post-its to leave him a message.

Item number eight gets postponed somehow as soon as Castiel hears his father's voice inside his head telling him nicely to 'haul his sorry ass up to heaven before _He _starts exercising free will'. Postponed, not withdrawn because he is _so planning to invite his friends to celebrate their victory over a good slice of pie. _


End file.
